Ford told Sun Motors that 44,682 models were affected and almost 1,800 are still unfixed on UK roads

Ford told Sun Motors that 44,682 Ecoboost models were affected by a coolant hose fault that could lead to the engine cracking and leaking coolant. This in turn has led to overheating and fires in some cases.

An estimated 1,787 cars on UK roads are still not repaired, according to the spokesperson.

The car maker first became aware of the problem in 2012 when fires broke out in US-based motors, but a recall wasn't issued in the UK until January this year.

An Inside Out investigation airing tonight on BBC One at 19:30, details some of the traumatic stories by faulty Ford owners.

Ford owner Gill Cronshaw said the engine fault 'was the most frightening experience of her life'

Gill Cronshaw, a Ford Focus owner from Altrincham, said of an engine failure whilst driving on the motorway: "It was the most frightening experience of my life because you feel completely powerless.

"There were no warning lights, there was no indication. As my foot was on the accelerator, I could just feel there was nothing left.

"The pipe had a very clear split, there was coolant stains all inside the bonnet, so I could see there had been quite a big failure, it wasn’t wear and tear.

"It needed a new engine, at a cost of £5,500 which obviously I was absolutely horrified at; it had been MOT’d and serviced it was in immaculate condition."

Clare Robson, a Grand C-MAX owner from Lowestoft, had arranged for the fault to be repaired after being notified by Ford, but an engine fire ignited before it went into the garage.

She said: "I noticed that smoke [was] actually coming from under my bonnet. I started thinking that I need to get to safety so I left the dual carriageway at the slip road.

Having pulled into a busy retail park, Clare added: "I was terrified, there were people around me, there were children, it was a busy bank holiday weekend and there were billows of smoke coming from under the bonnet.

"I saw the first flame lick up from underneath the bonnet and I thought, I need to get out of the car now."

Chris Walker, an engine expert from Rochdale, explained: "The cylinder head of an engine - basically that’s the top half of your engine - seems to be cracking.

"We’ve seen quite a few now that have all cracked in the same place. What we are finding is when it’s cracking, it’s allowing the coolant to go into the exhaust system.

"If it loses all its coolant, the engine will overheat and the engine will eventually fail."

Ford said in a statement: "In March 2015, Ford Focus 1.0-litre petrol owners were notified of a service action caused by the coolant hose potentially failing at high temperatures on cars built between October 2011 and October 2013.

"As a result of the Field Service Action (FSA), Ford has reworked 96 per cent of affected cars.

"Our website has carried details to encourage outstanding owners who have experienced an issue to get in touch.

"Ford has already made substantial contributions towards the cost of 1.0-litre repairs, but ongoing discussions with customers show that Ford needs to go further to ensure reasonable repair costs are covered.

"With any future cases, subject to being assessed and linked to potential 1.0-litre engine overheating, we will contribute 100 per cent of the cost of repair at a Ford dealer.

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"Furthermore, we will re-examine previous cases to ensure that this policy of a 100-per-cent contribution to the repair cost is applied consistently.

"UK owners should contact Ford by emailing mgrcrc@ford.com with vehicle registration number. It will take time to re-examine previous cases thoroughly, but we will respond to all correspondence.

"This FSA is not classified as a safety issue by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, because drivers are provided with a number of warnings should the car overheat and other systems, such as braking and steering, are unaffected – allowing the driver to bring the vehicle to a safe stop."

Since 2011, over 600,000 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine cars have been sold in the UK – around 30 per cent of them are Focus models.

Shocking footage shows a reckless Ford Focus driver almost crashing three times in five minutes